as in rivalry
an earnest effort for superiority or victory over another
the annual fall face-off between these traditional rivals is a big event for both football-mad colleges
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Recent Examples of face-off
Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 17 May 2025
Trump’s followers may communicate through memes and message boards, but their faith belongs to a much older mythology: the eternal face-off between shaman and witch, prophet and cabal.
—Manvir Singh, New Yorker, 17 May 2025
Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 19 May 2025
The two deepest starting lineups in the league face off.
—Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for face-off
Noun
Now, fans are preparing for the first face-off between two of the league's midwest teams—and fans are understandably hyped to see Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese reunite on the court.
—Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 17 May 2025
Trump’s followers may communicate through memes and message boards, but their faith belongs to a much older mythology: the eternal face-off between shaman and witch, prophet and cabal.
—Manvir Singh, New Yorker, 17 May 2025
Verb
The final competition involved challengers facing off to hoist five stones, weighing between 331 to 460 pounds, atop a pillar.
—Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 19 May 2025
The two deepest starting lineups in the league face off.
—Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for face-off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for face-off
Noun
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At times, the rivalry between the players has become the biggest topic of discussion in sports and eclipsed the athletic world, raising issues of race and gender equality.—
Sean Neumann,
People.com,
20 May 2025
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This is a space that is ripe for standardization, the entry of new players in the market, and more vendor rivalries and drama.—
John Burek,
PC Magazine,
20 May 2025
Verb
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Cosmetics hosted a kickoff party celebrating Katherine Legge, who was the only woman to compete in the NASCAR Xfinity Series' BetMGM 300 Saturday, and is the only woman currently competing in the NASCAR Cup & NASCAR Xfinity Series.—
People Staff,
People.com,
25 May 2025
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Lionel Messi has competed in four Copa Americas in the same timeframe, the only tournament Conmebol contests outside its admittedly draining World Cup qualifying format.—
Ian Nicholas Quillen,
Forbes.com,
25 May 2025
Noun
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As a 60-person battle royale, matches can be extremely long and, in tournament play, repeat over and over for hours until a winning team can be crowned.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
20 May 2025
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Salter is also in a quarterback battle with true freshman Julian Lewis.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
19 May 2025
Verb
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Critics have long contended that the position amounted to little more than a fig leaf, albeit one that still managed to occupy a few seats at the national policy-making table.—
Daniel Libit,
Sportico.com,
29 May 2025
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At worst, Nomura is probably contending for a stint on the practice squad.—
Mike Kaye,
Charlotte Observer,
29 May 2025
Noun
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The game had the look of a pitchers’ duel going into the ninth inning with first-place Philadelphia leading 1-0 thanks to a home run from Trea Turner leading off the game.—
Chris Biderman,
Sacbee.com,
24 May 2025
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May departed with the Dodgers trailing 1-0 and was initially in line to be the hard-luck loser of a pitchers’ duel with Burnes, but Hernandez changed that with one swing.—
Kyle Glaser,
Oc Register,
22 May 2025
Verb
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Over the past century the price of gold has raced at a 2.2% average annual rate above inflation.—
William Baldwin,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2025
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The United Nations human rights lawyer took a pause from racing for three years during her fertility journey, which included miscarriages and multiple rounds of IVF.—
Gabrielle Rockson,
People.com,
22 May 2025
Noun
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For Case, the Welsh race in mid-May was her first big competition since the summer of 2022: the Hardrock Hundred Mile Endurance Run in Colorado.—
Bill Chappell,
NPR,
30 May 2025
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McClain is Hartford’s main competition for the second safety spot.—
Cameron Teague Robinson,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
Noun
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After the tense confrontation, the expecting mom went on to refer to the villain arc fans observed from Engemann during season 2 of the hit show.—
Zoey Lyttle,
People.com,
22 May 2025
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Manuel Vega Lopez, 51, died of gunshot wounds following a confrontation outside a Gilbert home shortly before 4:30 p.m. Monday, May 19, police said in a news release.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
21 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Face-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/face-off. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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